Sweet Escape
by Speedy8
Summary: When King Sombra is found and arrested, he gains his strength back and swears revenge. Escaping, he takes shelter in a red barn where a blonde farm girl, Applejack, discovers him.
1. Prologue

Anger, frustration, that seemed to always be the result. He hid in the shadows for so long and the days grew longer. It didn't seem to matter anymore. King Sombra was lost in the labyrinth of his mind and had given up, or was convincing himself he had just stopped to rest.

After almost seizing Crystal Empire, the Crystal Heart had been retrieved and the ponies gained their spirit. The empire was, or it seemed, unobtainable. The days of his dictatorship were over.

Power, once you have a taste, you'll do anything for a second bite.

It was an eventful day for him at least, hiding in the cavern he had made with the last bit of his strength, it had been two years since his last attempt to takeover. There had always been daring teen ponies looking for his ghost, legend has it. But he'd spooked them off, leaving them to rant about their 'survival' stories. However, it wasn't some pesky stallions looking for an adrenaline rush, it was the coastal guard searching for him. Turns out suspicions had risen enough for them to come and settle the residents' nerves.

Shining Armor was leading five other white and gray stallions through the forest. Stumbling upon his cave, their confidence dropped to an all time low.

King Sombra had as much power as Discord, and could easily escape or kill them in seconds. Knowing his brutal nature, it was likely he'd hold Princess Cadance's dear husband for ransom, but the mind is a powerful object. Within this time frame, Sombra had lost all hope, lucky timing.

"King Sombra, you are under arrest for .." He drowned them out. _Prison?_ He thought gazing down at the cold floor. He rose and the stallions drew back, then he stood patiently as they cautiously hoofcuffed him.

_At least I won't be so alone._


	2. Chapter One: Caged

**Hello! This is my first story and I'm feeling kind of iffy about it. I'll write two more chapters at least and see where it goes from there. Give me some feedback!**

* * *

"Did you hear?!" Pinkie Pie cried, grasping a newspaper in between her light pink hooves. She slammed the article on the walnut table, facing the others.

Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity sat in the Ponyville Café conversing with one another, but they all paused, not growing even slightly excited for Pinkie Pie's sudden entrance as she was always a little over the top ecstatic for anything that occurred.

Leaning their heads in, Rarity spit out her mocha to the side in surprise but quickly retrieved a napkin, dabbing the corners of her mouth while her cheeks turned pink, then continued reading the details.

_Breaking News: King Sombra Caught!_

_King Sombra was found hiding in a cavern in the Willowfree Forest. He was arrested and taken to Canterlot for questioning. (continue on pg 6)_

They were all speechless, their conversation turning to an abrupt, long silence.

"But _how_?!" Twilight exclaimed. "King Sombra is _very_ powerful, he could've escaped or even _killed_ them in seconds if he had the will.."

"I don't know sugarcube, let's just be grateful," Applejack muttered wearily, her mind obviously occupied with the situation as well.

* * *

"Move along." A guard shoved a throng of prisoners along to the cafeteria. They wore the same thing, blaze orange onesy's to distinguish them from others.

After a long carriage ride, Sombra was pushed through the jail doors. They had cast a spell on him as soon as possible that would cause immense pain if he tried using his magic. He knew there was no turning back at this point.

As they walked along the many hallways, left and right prisoners gazed in fear and wonder. Sombra found it funny, Equestria was a happy place with cheerful ponies and yet, behind the prison walls…

He shook his head and glanced up when they halted in front of cell, his cell. It was clean in a.. dirty way. A small bed with a thin white mattress hung loosely off the steel frame, a murky blue sink was rusting in the corner, and the walls were scratched in with dates. He shuddered, pondering on the many past ponies that had lived in this cage, where were they now? Hesitantly, he entered, the floor sticking to his hoof as the door locked behind him.

Sitting on the springy, firm mattress, he was left in isolation for what seemed like hours until a green pony with golden hair returned to the cell across from his. His cutie mark was a bag of money in a brown bag tied with a red ribbon.

_Robber? _ Sombra assumed.

"Ey' pardner." The odd pony was matched with a deep, western voice. "Newcomer, ey?"

Sombra nodded, realizing how nice it was to talk to somepony. "How long you been here?"

"I'd sey bout'…" He placed his hoof on his chin, thinking. "Seven years now." He grinned. "Out in four."

"Name?"

The pony chuckled and slapped his hoof against his knee. "First rule.. don't ask, don't tell."

And it went from there. They talked until moonrise, nothing personal, just one of those conversations that you never want to end. And after a year in solitude, that was all Sombra could ask for.

* * *

It had been three months since Sombra's arrest, and since then he had been the headline of every newspaper in Equestria. He was constantly picked at for interviews but denied them all.

During that time frame, so much had happened. Moneybag (nickname), his cellmate, was his only friend there. Sombra had no idea of the taunting and fights that occurred behind bars and it seemed _everyone _knew him.

"King? You don't deserve that title."

"Most feared or most scared?"

"You're a hopeless case."

Only a few, less hurtful taunts he had received. He was involved in fights everyday, not that he wanted to be, but being constantly poked, shoved, slapped, and teased by other cellmates.. he felt like he was back in his pure, innocent days as a student in elementary school.

Words are the cheapest, most powerful bullets.

His anger felt like a tea pot ready to boil over. Moneybag kept him stable, for now, but not for much longer. He returned to his cell with a black eye and cursed Celestia's name under his breath.

_I'm breaking out of here._


	3. Chapter Two: The Plan

Sorry I haven't posted in months. The chapters unfortunately short but I have more time on my hands now. Enjoy!

* * *

_Day or night time? _Sombra paced in the dusty, claustrophobic cage he'd called his home for five months, months of strenuous planning for his escape, and it was _flawless_. Now it begged the question, the time of day. It seemed obvious.. nighttime, right? But this time, he wants to be clever, nopony would expect a runaway in daylight, then again, there's got to be ten more guards on watch.

His brain played ping pong with the pros and cons until he settled on evening. Every guard would be departing, tired and changed with only a club in their belt, the prisoners would still be out, probably coming back from their last meal of the day. He'd collected a loose lighter on the floor, probably from a police smoker, there's no way a prisoner could get his hooves on that. As the prisoners withdraw to their cells, he'd use (what's left of it) the lighter on a prisoner, yes, he was going to light another pony on fire. But with these brick walls and metal tables, the only thing that would cause a riot (barely) was his spring-filled mattress. However, setting ablaze a fellow cellmate, this would cause two, heavenly words. _Distracted guards_. And little do they know, Sombra still has the slimmest bit of magic still left in him, and the spell still left him to do small things, such as lifting items for a short distance, opening a door, _breaking a lock_.. And as soon as everypony is set for chaos, Sombra will run to the locked gates, break them, and as dusk sets over, disguising his black coat, he'll run. Into the wind, into the moon's dim light, into a world that will soon be filled with his revenge.

* * *

"_Celestia_," The six ponies eyes shimmered in her presence, so old, so wise, and as Twilight Sparkle aspired for, so _magical_. Though her face was grim, nothing seemed to faze the heart race that triggered every time her decorated hooves padded the floor.

Her purple eyes searched them head to hoof and she finally turned to Twilight. "Follow." She uttered, receding back to the chambers with a weary glance at the floor.

As soon as the thick, white and gold decorated doors closed behind the two, Celestia turned to her beloved student and five different ponies began to gossip.

Twilight opened her mouth that was ready to spill with questions but she chose to close it, as her awaited answers would soon reach their satisfaction.

After a painful silence, Celestia spoke in a hoarse voice, "Discord, as you know, can sense magical imbalance.." She hesitated, carefully chose her words. "There's something coming, Discord hasn't been right lately. The spell on Sombra has weakened him greatly and.." She closed her eyes for a few minutes, opening them, this time, with new confidence. "I want you to take the Elements of Harmony for now."

Twilight nodded in obedience as Celestia turned towards the doors that held Equestria's most powerful weapon.

* * *

Tonight was the night. Sombra trudged along the group, in the back. The thick taste of metal filled his mouth, the mouth that held the lighter. He couldn't hold it or even put it in his orange faded pocket for that matter. Even though months had come and gone, the orders had been check every inch of him, enter _and_ exit from his cell. But the guards had become lazy, and had still yet to do the task for the past four months, but he couldn't take any chances.

Sombra had already decided which pony would be receiving the skin transplant for burnt features. _Donor_, or what Sombra likes to call him. Through his life, he kidnapped ponies, claiming he'd helped them. Giving them surgeries, sticking unnecessary items inside.. Sombra shook his head roughly. This pony _deserved_ what was coming. And while he slide the lighter cap open, giving the final flick of fire, he failed to ignore the fact that he was the one who deserved the red flesh upon his skin.


	4. Chapter Three: Free One, Trap Another

**And over a half year later.. I'm back! No, I'm not dead. So it's Christmas Day (as well as my birthday) and I decided to post a chapter for the holidays. Hopefully I can get chapters out sooner, I really tried to make this longer. Give me feedback in the comments!**

* * *

_Burn baby burn._

Seething flames licked Donor's skin, tore at the lively colors and marked them blood red. What was the only thing that could follow? Screaming, convincing and strained. He thrashed and fought, his eyes rolled and then-

Sombra was gone by now. Tearing through the throng, he stopped abruptly and glanced back for a split second.

_Come with me._

His eyes met Moneybag's, his only friend. They begged and filled with the hope and desire that his dear friend would throw away the law they were bound too and follow the web of loyalty they had spun together. It was only a second, but as Moneybag turned away, a thousand doors closed, and Sombra followed the only path he was left with, a path that was completely and utterly familiar. _Solo._

No time to waste.

A mere spark from his horn and the thick steel door was broken, just like that. It haunted prisoners' minds for centuries. It was old, cracked, medieval even. _Just like that. _Sombra had once feared himself, knowing what he was capable of, but now he embraced it all. He was powerful, he felt himself grow and laugh with a grin.

_Welcome back._

* * *

He worshipped another now. He was his Celestia, he was his safety net.

He didn't know what happened next, he didn't care. The wind was whipping past his mane, the sun was setting on the horizon in shades of red that blinded his eyes. The grass licked his hooves and the trees breathed his air. He couldn't stop laughing, freedom was a delicate thing and it was his now. He promised himself he would never give it away again.

When he was far out of reach, he stopped. Night time had settled now and the stars beckoned his hungry eyes. He knew he needed to rest, lack of strength weighed down on his body but a regained drive pushed it forward. Shining lights guided him atop a dew-dropped hill and he gazed down. It was Sweet Apple Acres, of course Sombra did not know this at the time. A sturdy red barn and fields of apples trees clouded his sight. He found his way down to the barn and slid the door quietly with his magic.

Dust, for a wet night he was least expectant of this. He coughed, gasped, his throat sore and eyes itchy, through the haze he saw buckets, tools, and hay cushioning every nook and cranny. The phase ended when he found a water pump, the cool liquid draining the pain away as suddenly as it had come. His heartbeat found a steady rhythm as he laid out a picnic blanket hidden in the back on a pile of thick, pokey straw. Before resting the exhaustion away, he hid himself with fellow haystacks. With the moon high and seemingly nothing to worry about, Sombra pushed his gnawing thoughts away and let sleep take him away into new hallucinations.

* * *

"Now stop your fussin'," Strong western voice, confident, hardworking. "All the information we've got is from that newspaper. I can give you more when I talk to the others." A flare of irritation, heading towards the buckets, wait a minute.. _where am I? _

Sombra's eyelids flickered open. The harsh sunlight blinded him and he struggled to focus. Memories came like dominoes harsh and all at once. _Fire for him, freedom for me, a barn for sleeping.. _He moved ever-so-slightly, dust hurled forward, weaving between straw and blanket. He choked back a cough and swallowed.

"Now get off to school, ya hear? I've got to take care of the chores."

A hushed sigh echoed off the barn walls. "Okay. Bye, _Applejack._" The new voice had a name. The filly who labelled her trotted off, the door giving a final creak as it blocked a way for sunlight to fill in.

He attempted to stand up, stabbed with straw and filled with dust he fell back on his knees, then began to cough uncontrollably.

"Who's that?" Startled, but not frightened. She was obviously a hard one to shake. "Show yourself!"

He swallowed once, twice, three times. His magic flew his hiding spot to a new place. The new adrenaline rush of revelation had him on his toes. He eased himself face to face, looming over her.

He wasn't looking at her, he wasn't even paying attention, but he could see her visibly shaking.

Only seconds had passed, but her mental pep talk left her to appear strong, she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze.

"What do you think _you're_ doing here, Sombra?" Applejack's sharp tongue remained and it left him speechless.

Sombra smirked, the classic Cheshire Cat smile playing on his lips. "Why, just enjoying the view my dear." His hoof pulled her chin up closer to his lips.

Her eyes bugged and within a split second she had swung her head away and stared off to the side.

"If that's how you want to play it.." He stood broader, his horn lit sickly green and focused on Applejack, she began to squirm and thrash under his light, his grin widened as the spell ignited..

_What? _Webs of pain began to spread throughout his gut, then up his body through his limbs, then in his mind. It multiplied, stabbed him, gagged him, clawed him, _tortured_ him. He started to lose his sanity and released Applejack.

It was gone.

Fast, too fast, he couldn't identify it. Beats of sweat streaked his forehead and then he realized.. _the spell. _But why now? Why had his pain not flared when he broke out of the prison? He pondered little, the mare was riled up and ready to slam the white X'ed door in his face.

"So my magic has proved useless," He chuckled. "but I think in the last few months, my physicality has not."

Sombra sped and blocked her designated direction, grabbing hold of her slender waist, he thrust her gently into the barn cellar and followed in pursuit. Swiftly tying the mare's legs together with dusted rope nearby, his greeted her helpless gaze with a glare. "I recognize you now, Element of _Honesty. _And as long as you know anything, I think it's better to call this cellar your new home."


End file.
